Typical. Perfectly peachy. She’s on to us, that much I can tell you. Either that or my mother just happened to choose this particular compound for a raid. Totally random. Nothing to do with the fact we were headed straight for it. Pure coincidence, wouldn’t you agree?
Yeah. Me neither.
Fact—Isabeau loves drama. The grand entrance. The shocker at the end. It all reeks of her scent. This is her thing, and we’re falling directly into her outstretched claws. She wants us to investigate the Fairy deaths. To stop everything we’re doing and start what this particular clan does best. Care. She’s depending on the hearts of those better than her.
And what my mother wants, my mother gets. She probably even expects me to come after her for answers. If she knows me like a mother should, she knows I’m not like everyone else.
A few dead Fairies changes nothing. Whatever we find inside the compound, we can’t let it stop us.
“FYI.” I grab Rhyen’s arm. I’m the center of attention in a way I so hate to be. I’m a showstopper, not a scene causer. The gawking expressions on everyone’s faces are not my idea of self-gratification. “Isabeau is following us.”
“You think we should turn back?” Uncle Makai hands Evan off to Elizabeth. Is the kid my stepbrother? Nephew? Neither quite fits. Doesn’t change that he’s stinkin’ adorable.
“No. We keep going. She expects this to throw us off. We continue as if nothing’s changed.”
“I trust your judgment.” Rhyen nods. “We still have to go in. Ensure Isaach and Breckan—”
“No!” I release his arm, catching myself before wiping my palm on my clothes. The Void isn’t contagious, Ebony. Don’t be weird. “We cannot, under any circumstances, go into that compound. Don’t you see?” I fling my arm toward the trail of dead Fairies leading directly into the Nitegra entrance. “She’s saying come and get me. Come and investigate with all your goody-goody, we’ll-save-the-day attitudes.” I’m panting now, gulping breaths like some sweaty Guardian. But for once I don’t care.
“Well, ’course she is.”
Regina appears as if from nowhere, eyes sparkling. She must have crawled through the entrance while my back was turned. “I’ve known the woman for longer than you, honey.” She wags a finger with so much sass I’d say the move was choreographed. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that your mama isn’t the least bit concerned with anyone aside from herself. She couldn’t care less if you come on in and lend a helping hand. She ain’t trying to do nothin’ except find Miss Elizabeth. I’d wager the best we can do is stay with a large group, not go venturin’ off on our own.”
I close my gaping mouth. I hate to break it to you, lady, but El’s mom isn’t the main focus in this story. Not any more than revenge on El was my reason for helping Jasyn Crowe. “This goes deeper than Elizabeth, no offense.” Hello, don’t you people get it? I can’t be the only one who sees the light, pardon the pun. Even if revenge is a driving force for my mother, it’s only part of it. “Isabeau was angry and jaded long before my father met you.”
El’s mom nods. Good. At least I’m getting through to someone.
“You go on and do what you gotta do, Ebony.” Regina’s dismissive hand isn’t lost on me. I invented the dismissive hand. She’s stealing my moves. Not cool. “We can handle ourselves just fine from here.” She sways past me, bumping me with her hip and winking in simultaneous style. Next she wraps an arm around El’s mom and leads her toward the entrance. A.k.a. the black hole of death.
Is she for reals?
“Hold up, Dahlia.” With folded arms and a hesitant expression, Ky comes to my aid. “If Ebony says we shouldn’t go in, maybe we ought to at least hear her out.”
Yes. Hear me out. I may not be an official Guardian or anything, but I know my mother. My manipulative, always-out-for-herself mother.
“Hush now.” Regina doesn’t stop, and Elizabeth doesn’t fight the way she ushers her on. “We’re safer in there than y’all are out here.” Three coughs and a hack before she continues. “The Fairy Queen is long gone now, don’t you worry. The Nitegrans shooed her off before she did too much damage.”
My eyes plead with my uncle, with Ky, and Tide, and even Preacher. “I am telling you guys, this is a bad idea. We can’t go in there.”
“Regina says it is safe. My wife trusts her, which is good enough for me.” Makai joins Elizabeth, Evan, and the crazy Ever woman at the mouth of the pass.
This is insane. But majority rules, right? I do realize I’m not the most trustworthy person. I’ve made my mistakes, and everyone knows it too. But can’t a girl catch a break? I’m trying to redeem myself here.
“Commander, I feel we ought to consider Ebony’s insight.” El’s guy plants his feet in a wide stance to my right.
For all his Crowe-following, I never would have guessed he’d so readily stand up to authority. Of course, Khloe’s life is not at stake this time. Ten bucks says Ky would’ve ended up in Jasyn’s dungeon had our sister not kept him motivated to submit.
Tide joins our small rebellion but takes his place at my left. “I have to agree. At least proceed with caution.”
New emotions stir. Is this what it’s like to be supported? To have someone on my side? Two someones?
“Caution?” Regina waves her arms, the cellulite underneath jiggling. She removes her apron, wipes her soiled face. “The Nitegrans need our help. Are you lot just goin’ to stand there while people are dyin’?”
Dying? My stomach turns to sour grapes. Crud, this is worse than I’d hoped. I unzip my jacket pocket, fiddle with the compact inside with a nervous hand. Because otherwise I’ll want to bite my nails, and I won’t stoop to that level. A girl’s gotta have principles.
“No. We help them. No matter the cost.” Oh no, not Preacher too. He tromps past, adding to Regina’s numbers. Of course, it’s no secret he fancies her. The brute can try to hide it all he wants, but even a blind person could see his smile appears a little more with each inch he nears our oldest Ever.
The man who calls himself Josh chuckles, but no joy fills his laugh. “Well, well, well. It appears we have a standoff. But which side will win? To go, or not to go?”
“You stay out of this, Brother.”
Not now, guys. This isn’t the time.
“Oh, I am in this whether you like it or not, Kyaphus. You brought me along, and you’ve got me.”
“We only brought you,” Rhyen says, “in case we needed your blood supply.”
“Hold on now, Ky.” My uncle pats his wife on the back and marches back over. “That is not the sole reason.”
For the first time since he joined the dark side, Josh doesn’t appear to have it all together. His eyes narrow, then widen, clarity taking over. He shakes his head at my uncle, then glares at Rhyen. “You once told Eliyana everyone has an agenda. Or did you think I couldn’t overhear your conversation that day at the creek?”
Ky doesn’t respond.
Everyone watches the train wreck as it unfolds. My time in New York told me one thing, and that’s that people are fascinated with destruction. Brace yourselves.
“It appears your agenda is clear. You desired to turn her against me from the beginning,” Josh continues. “And now you wish to pit Makai—more my brother than you will ever be—against me as well?” He jerks his chin in the Commander’s direction, making it clear whom he considers family.
Rhyen shrugs out of his leather jacket, then stuffs it inside his already-bulging backpack. “And that’s your problem, Shadowalker. You think everything is about you. It was never about you. It was about helping her see the truth. Showing her who she could trust.” He takes a step toward Josh. “And who she most clearly could not.”